my compact router shaft was starting to wiggle what seemed to be quite a lot, so i bit it and got a 1.5kw spindle hoping it would solve some of the problems i seemed to be having cutting aluminum…
now i have all this beefy hardware and while still doing 0.1mm passes at anywhere from 400-1000mm/minute with a 102Z, air blast no air blast oil no oil, every combo this is still what i get:
am i just using the wrong tool here? i don’t have that many endmills to even try but i feel like i just put a bunch of money into this machine for absolutely zero gain. what a waste of time
What kind of aluminum are you cutting? What was the chip load of that cut? As a general rule I recommend the single flutes for cutting aluminum. I just replaced my router for the same reason and have quite enjoyed my new spindle for cutting aluminum. I am getting much better surface finish. You can definitely cut the shiny stuff with your machine. There is probably something that needs to be adjusted in your strategy is all.
As Nick says, the type of aluminium is important. Not all types are suitable for machining.
Endmills can make a big difference to how the edges form. You mentioned you used a 102Z, which I think is a flat end mill. These cuts really look like a ball endmill did them, which is interesting in and of itself.
What they said, also you did not specify what RPM you used ?
If using a very high RPM value, 1000mm/min may not be enough to ensure a sufficient chipload (and at 400mm/min even more so), which mean you could be borderline-rubbing, which sometimes looks like the cut in your pic.
Target a chipload of 0.001" (0.0254mm), and then from the RPM value and the number of flutes (2, in your case), figure out the feedrate by:
feedrate = 0.0254 x 2 x RPM
(so e.g. 914mm/min at 18000RPM, but 1525mm/min at 30000RPM)
